On the road

A new day.

Decklan is waiting with the wagon, growing impatient as time ticks away. "We got places t'be. Buncha lazy, insufferable, uppity..." The rest is lost in unintelligible grumbles as he sets about finding the stable hand to get things ready to go.

Raven rises just before sunrise and heads down to the stables to check on the oxen, ensuring that they are well fed for the day ahead.

"Good Morning Rudy, how is that hoof this morning?" the big grey oxen snorts a reply, "Let me look at it and then we will get you two your breakfast."

Raven checks over the ox's hoof to ensure that it is still looking well and then will assist Gurn in getting the two oxen fed and watered before they are needed for the wagon.

Why, Count Alexander Simonnet Natalis de Bertier du Puy, I would love to dance the sarabande with you. Where did you learn such a difficult dance and, so gracefully as well? said the stunning redhead to Alex as she slowly sashayed over to him, fluttering her kohl-darkened eyelashes seductively. Well, my dear, I spent time in Amn and Tethyr, among their nobles and their knights, and picked up a few moves—on the field of battle and the floor of dance.

Alex reached out to take the hand of the lovely green-eyed lady when he felt his eyes begin to water. The scene started wavering, getting progressively blurrier. Alex reached up to rub his eyes and found himself not in the ballroom, but in a narrow bed upstairs in the inn. The early morning sun had gotten into his eyes. BLAST it. Just when the dream was showing promise, he muttered quietly so as not to wake his fellow sleepers.

Alex stretched, yawned, and proceeded to the restroom to relieve himself. Dressing in his small clothes, tunic, and hose, and boots, he buckled on his rapier, primary fencing dagger, and a few of his throwing daggers. Walking straight outside, he took a deep breath of the fresh clean air and proceeded to perform his morning routine of limbering exercises and isometrics. After warming up, he started his morning fencing routine. Lunges and retreats, Prime, Quarte, Sixte. Alex lost track of his surroundings, losing himself in the dance. He always found great similarity between swordplay and dancing. After a graceful parry and spin move which finished his routine, Alex sheathed his sword and dagger. What I need is a partner; there is much one can learn when facing an opponent. I should ask if one of my companions would be kind enough to practice with me, Alex thought.

Alex found a small piece of wood in the yard, and set it up against one of the inn's walls. He then took about twenty or so paces back and proceeded to whip his daggers out and aim them at the target. He went back and forth a few times, covering different stances and angles. This also served as a decent cool-down from the aerobic exercise of the rapier routines.

Finally, as the sun rose ever brighter in the sky, and the noises of the inn become louder and more insistent, Alex returned upstairs, wiped himself down, re-washed, and dressed for the day—in his travel clothes and not his flashy formal costumewear, alas.

Coming downstairs, he approaches the now-familiar innkeep and asked My good sir, was breakfast included in Master Gundren's beneficence?

Shifter Surge quiet slips away from his sleeping angel. And moments later out of the door.

He makes his to the main bar to see if others are up or waiting. He spies Alex and heads over to him, "Looks fine morning."

Tatiana rose early with the dawn and silently began her morning rituals. She dressed behind the folding screen into her traveling clothes, pausing only when Alex passed through the room. She finished her routine and sat upon her bed to brush her hair.

Her annoyance at the thwack thwack thwack of daggers thrown against wood was palpable. The smith's hammer she could tolerate, but the daggers had an inconsistent cadence that intruded into her thoughts. She considered whether it might be the stable boy chopping wood in an inefficient and generally rude manner. Her eyes narrowed and a smile played upon the corner of her lips and she envisioned a glorious path of revenge and destruction heaped upon the poor lad's head.

So lost in her hair-brushing and coming up with a myriad of future plans for the downfall of the stable boy and their next of kin, Tatiana did not notice the return of Alex in his sweaty sleepwear, nor when the swashbuckler passed through again. Only the stirring of Ammos broke her from her daydream, and she collected her belongings to prepare for the day's journey.

Ammos begins to stir and wake from the activity in the room, he mutters a halfhearted "good morning" to those within earshot before turning his focus onto summoning Quintus for his morning routine. After filing down his clawed fingers and smoothing down wayward scales he uses the washroom to rid himself of any shed scales in privacy before dressing in his fine traveller's clothes and venturing downstairs to have a travellers breakfast.

After ordering his meal and seating himself somewhere quiet, he retrieves his triangular spellbook and skims through- intending to refresh his memory of the Mage armour spell to better teach Tatiana in the near future.

The common room is far less busy in the morning, no farm hands or their bosses. Just people who have slept at the Inn for the night. Your group and a few others. The bar is not manned and the server who walks about between the tables an older halfling man with a wide smile. Breakfast is included in Gundren's patronage. Each of you was brought breakfast as you arrive at a chair.

Gurn is in the stables and is grateful for Raven's help when he arrives.

Hungry Surge is more than ready to eat before going further with the trek. "Hopefully none of this trouble talk happens."

Alex responds to Surge, indeed it does. A hearty breakfast, and then we head out on our mission—orcs and dragons beware! Alex exclaims, his enthusiam perhaps a bit forced.

Alex sits down at the table, thanks halfling man for his service, and digs into breakfast with gusto. Looking around he sees Surge, obviously, and then the dragonborn wizard. Thinking to call out a boisterous "hello", Alex spies said scaly snout seriously studying seemingly sorcerers spells somewhat somberly. Deciding that alliteration is the better part of valor, he leaves the wizard in peace—for now.

Alex continues his meal, waiting for the rest of the party to arrive; although he has some doubts as to whether Decklan will deign to show himself indoors. Something odd about that one, he thinks.

Finally ready, Tatiana gathers her belongings and doublechecks that everything is accounted for. She descends the stairs in propriety, setting her pack down and taking a seat across from her brother. She gives a gracious nod to the server for her meal and dines in silence, cutting larger chunks of egg and protein into smaller bites with her fork if Quintus is predisposed or unavailable.

Her attention is solely on her plate, but her eyes are distant, still narrowed in what Ammos would recognize as the thoughtful process in planning the demise of Those-Who-Must-Be-Destroyed.

Without looking up from his book Ammos addresses Tatiana, "You're brooding... who could possibly have irked you between sunrise and now? In such a short time- it must be a record." he smiles with his eyes and gives her a sidelong look as he teases.
"I hope it is not one of our company, there is danger enough on the road without you being the cause of more..."

Raven came in after getting the oxen started on their breakfast, thankful that Gurn would be able to finish up with them while he got himself breakfast. He didn't have a whole lot of time as he would still need to get them harnessed up to the wagon, but the farmer was used to having more chores than time in the morning. Despite the comments of Alex the night before about enjoying the meal, Raven chews through breakfast with efficiency, although at the table this time instead of curled up on the chair as he had last night.

"I agree, hopefully another quiet day of good weather."

Tatiana is shaken from her fantasy, and quickly adopts a stoic expression. "It is nothing, Ammos," she lies, inwardly cursing at her brother's insight borne from familiarity. "And a lady does not brood, she plans."

Placing her fork upon her plate, she rises from the table and smooths out her skirt, "For example, I plan to have a wonderful day." Tatiana leaves unspoken how she is going to accomplish that, and she continues, "Please extend my thanks to the proprietor for a lovely evening and being such a good host, and see to it that the stableboy manages our luggage properly."

Here, she steps around the table and takes Ammos's hand in two of hers, covertly slipping three silver coins into his scaly palm. "For the staff."

She closes Ammos's hand around the coins, gives it a pat, and smiles without showing her teeth. "I will just be outside for a brief moment. I should like to view the scenery and commit this place to memory. I won't be far."

Watchful Surge rise and follows lady Tatiana out saying, "With tales of troubles you should not be out alone."

Tatiana barely raises an eyebrow at Surge's proximity. "How chivalrous of you," she says, giving a courteous nod before striding out the door.

Quite unfortunate for Lady Tatiana, wolf'en Surge doesn't sense that proximity at all and is standing next to her. "Are you prepared for the journey today?" he asks.

Tatiana stands just outside the front door, staring out at the natural environment surrounding the inn. "As prepared as anyone can be," she answers, deferential. "I expect that our company is well-rested and ready?"

Alex, Ammos, and Raven, you finish your meals in peace. Raven, the next time you go outside Gurn, who is very good at his job, already has the oxygen hitched and the wagon ready and waiting. Decklan, as Gurn prepared the wagon, he gave you a cheerful. "Good morning," and went about his business.

Tatiana and Surge, the day has dawned bright and sunny as of now, and seems as if it plans to be warm.

"Mornin'" Decklan replies to Gurn curtly. Leaning against the wagon when the others file out of the inn, he acerbically greets them with, "Y'all sure you don't want to have lunch before we get movin'?"